A Kitsune's Rhapsody
by Timmothy Shaw
Summary: Over the years after the jewel was completed Shippo has grown. Now the kitsune longed for another adventure, another frontier to conquor. However, he does not know that the greatest frontier is of the heart, not the material world. Warning: Yaoi ShippoSou
1. Default Chapter

**A Kitsune's Rhapsody**

By Timmothy Shaw

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, no matter how much I wish I did.

Well, than, on with the story!

**Chapter 1**

It was a cool November night that once again found Shippo, a kitsune, staring into the overcast sky. Shippo was sixteen years of age, and acted as if he were still six. The fox demon had grown considerably in the last few years. He now stood almost up to Inuyasha's shoulders, though Inuyasha adamantly refused to cease calling Shippo "kid" or "runt", much to Shippo's annoyance.

Having just gone through the painful growth spurt, Shippo had not yet filled out. He was fairly strong for his age and race, but there were little signs of muscle on his body. Shippo was thoroughly vexed about this situation and stood bare in front of a mirror or lake often, almost willing his body to even out.

The once small, fluffy stub of a tail had grown long and fairly luxurious. When it first began to grow in, Shippo had a habit of running his hands through the fine fur, until he began to notice it was thinning due to his incessant tugging. Shippo quickly broke that habit, for fear of having no tail at all.

A general feeling of lethargy had settled in after the defeat of Naraku. With no jewel fragments to collect, no evil demon to destroy, there was no need to travel. No one loathed the chronic boredom more than Shippo; even Inuyasha was content to live the rest of his live in serenity with his mate, Kagome.

No, there would be no adventures for Shippo anytime soon. However, Shippo was careful not to let his fears of dying of tedium spoil the generally happy mood. Sango and Miroku were perfectly happy living together as well. Miroku had been, shall we say, more forthcoming with his feelings than Inuyasha, and had proposed to Sango as soon as his Kazaana was gone. Sango had happily accepted.

A small smile curled at the edges of Shippo's mouth. He remembered the last time he had seen his old friends. Sango and Miroku, along with Sango's brother, Kohaku, had decided to settle in the demon slayers village. Once rebuilt, there hadn't been much occasion to see his friends; the last time was over a year ago.

Inuyasha and Kagome, after a long and tiring battle of pride, had finally consecrated their love together. Shippo had never seen his friends so happy, it made him happy, and sad at the same time.

Shippo had no one, there was no one for him to love and care for and protect. For Inuyasha, just the act of Kagome being there for him to look after satisfied his wild and free nature, but Shippo was all alone.

Oh, of course Kagome and Inuyasha had invited him to live with them, even offered to act as surrogate parents (that was mostly Kagome's suggestion) but Shippo felt that no one could take the place of his biological parents, who were still so vivid in his memory. Kagome had understood and didn't bring up the subject again.

The familiar restlessness stirred within the kitsune again. It was a very familiar feeling, one that occurred almost every time he was alone and unoccupied, which was often these days. Shippo stood and began to walk. It didn't matter where he was going; he already knew every inch of the surrounding woods.

Several minutes later Shippo looked at his surroundings and recognized the place he was in. His feet had unconsciously carried him to the old bone-eaters well. Kagome rarely used it anymore, Shippo wondered if it still worked, but supposed it had to since the jewel was still around.

Many times had they thought of what to wish upon the jewel, decidedly it was to be a pure wish, but a purely selfless wish could not be thought of. Thus the jewel remained around Kagome's neck until a solution could be reached.

Shippo sat at the edge of the well and peered in, the darkness was unsettling, and calming at the same time. Shippo stared into the well for almost an hour, as soon as his eyes were adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the bones of Mistress Centipede and many other demons. He focused on those, was almost mesmerized by the shapes and shadows they made.

Darkness settled swiftly and silently, Shippo had not noticed the coming night until those shadows that had held his attention were gone. Shippo looked up surprised; he had not noticed the late hour or the incoming clouds. The once overcast sky was now full of deep, dark clouds that hid the moon and stars.

Low rumbles shook the clouds up above. Shippo shrank to the ground and whimpered when he heard the sounds. Memories of the day his father was killed came back with shocking clarity. A bolt of lightning arced towards the ground; Shippo took off at a sprint in the direction of Kagome and Inuyasha's hut.

The kitsune was halfway to the hut when rain started to pour down. The rain came down hard and sudden. Sheets of water beat against Shippo, seemingly with a conscious effort to prevent him from reaching Kagome's house. When he crested the hill before Kagome's hut he stopped and stared at the peaceful building.

He stared at the lazy curls of smoke rising from the small hole in the middle of the roof; it must be warm and homely. The hut was in stark contrast to the bleak surroundings, a source of warmth surrounded by a cold, wet, and dreary world. Shippo stood with his arms across his chest, shivering as the cold rain penetrated his clothes and sunk down to the bone.

The peaceful image of the hut was, in fact, exactly the opposite of Shippo's current mood. He felt as if the cold was more where he belonged. That is until another bolt of lightening struck closer to where the kitsune was standing. Shippo shrank in fright and clenched his eyes and teeth, trying to shut out the terrible memories that tormented him.

Burning tears traced a path down Shippo's face, he tried to shake the tears away, but refusing the memories only gave them more power over the kitsune. Shippo finally made his way down the slippery slope of the hill into a small valley just before the village.

Pausing at the door, Shippo raised his hand to knock but something stopped him. What if they thought he was being weak, just a weak and scared little child? Perhaps the best thing to do was to go somewhere and wait out the storm. Shippo started to walk away, but hadn't gotten five paces before the door opened and Kagome stepped into the rain.

"Shippo?" Kagome was holding a blanket over her head to prevent against the rain.

Shippo heard her and was instantly afraid of her, of what she might think. He refused to turn to face her, but could not run away from a person who had shown him so much affection.

"What's wrong, Shippo?" Kagome noticed that the kitsune was quivering, he was obviously cold, but there was something else wrong. "Shippo…" Kagome reached the fox demon and lifted his face up to meet hers.

When she saw the tears streaming from his eyes and his soaked clothing, she grabbed him into a large embrace. Shippo let loose all the emotion that had been plaguing him and sobbed into Kagome's chest. Kagome wrapped her blanket around him and brought him inside.

"What's wrong with the runt?" Inuyasha asked when Shippo and Kagome entered the house.

Shippo bit back more tears at the mention of his embarrassing nickname. Kagome stripped Shippo of his wet haori and wrapped the blanket tightly around his narrow shoulders. Inuyasha stared at the kit, but Shippo refused to return his gaze, only staring at the fire with an expression of longing on his face.

"Is that better, Shippo?" Kagome asked as she rubbed his wet hair with a towel.

"Mmm…" was all that Shippo said.

"Keh, leave the kid alone, Kagome, he looks fine to me." Inuyasha's harsh words made Shippo cringe, Inuyasha observed the reaction with great interest.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome chastised, "Can't you ever even try to be more than an emotionally devoid baka?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I care about the runt; he isn't hurt, is he? So why's he bawling like that?" Inuyasha seemed to believe he was perfectly justified in his answer.

"Can't you see he's hurting about something? I can't believe…where did he go?" Shippo had run off when he saw Inuyasha and Kagome fight again, he didn't want to be responsible for breaking another happy union.

Although the rain had stopped, Shippo's lack of a shirt made him even colder than before. Shippo ran through the woods, at first he ran on two legs, but the recent rain had made the ground slick, and he soon had to resort to loping along on all fours. The kitsune tried to find a place devoid of any sentiment, a place where he had no memories. But no such place existed, every tree, every rock carried with it a happier day and time that had long since passed.

Shippo stopped at a small pond, a great distance away from Kagome's house. Peering into the placid water, he saw his reflection. This was not a pastime he enjoyed, every time he looked at himself, Shippo saw a stranger he didn't think he wanted to know.

"Hey…Shippo?" Inuyasha had followed Shippo on Kagome's orders.

Shippo cringed at the sound of the hanyou's voice, but noticed the clear absence of one of Inuyasha's favorite slang terms for Shippo.

"What do you want?" Shippo asked sullenly.

"Ah…yeah, well…I guess…Kagome kinda wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine" Shippo didn't take his eyes off the reflection in the water.

"I don't buy it; kid…what the hell has been wrong with you lately?" Inuyasha stepped foreword and placed his hand on Shippo's bare shoulder.

Inuyasha was surprised to feel the tremors that shook Shippo's body so. Obviously the kit was upset about something. Shippo's knees quivered and he fell into Inuyasha's arms, exhausted. Inuyasha carried Shippo back to the house and laid him on his and Kagome's bed. The kit was asleep before he hit the ground.

The next morning, Shippo woke to find himself in Inuyasha and Kagome's bed, with the couple asleep in the far corner of the room. Shippo smiled at the sight of the two sleeping, but the smile quickly turned to a frown when he remembered the events of last night. Lightening and thunder understandably put the kitsune in a bad mood, though that was no justification for his actions.

Kagome was the first to wake up and notice Shippo staring at them. Kagome smiled and mouthed the words '_Good morning_'. Shippo returned the greeting.

Kagome shook Inuyasha awake and gathered preparations for breakfast. Shippo got out of the bed when the smell of freshly cooked rice filled the hut. They ate the food in silence, Shippo was the first done and put his bowl down on the wooden floor in front of him.

"Shippo, I and Inuyasha were thinking last night, and well, we think we know what's making you so upset." Kagome said calmly and quietly.

Shippo kept his eyes focused down and was careful not to show any emotion.

"We think, well, I think," She said after a glower from Inuyasha, "that maybe you just need a vacation, you know, something exciting and adventurous. We…"

"Ahem…"

"_I _think I know the perfect thing to get you out of this slump." Kagome waited excitedly for Shippo's reply.

Shippo stared at the floor, unemotional, but inside he was a six year old again. Waiting to explore and venture out of the tedious existence he had found himself in in the past few months. "Yeah…I guess that could be fun. When are we leaving?"

"Well, Shippo, we aren't exactly going…"

"Damn right she ain't, she isn't going to endanger my pup!" Inuyasha exclaimed.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, apparently she hadn't wanted to share that sensitive information just yet.

"You guys are gonna have pups?" Shippo asked.

Now that he took the time to notice, Kagome did smell pregnant. Almost a month pregnant, how could he have not noticed something so obvious?

"Keh, if Kagome doesn't get our pups killed first."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome said angrily.

"I just don't think you're careful enough with our pups…" Inuyasha finished the sentence early because of the looks he got from Kagome.

"Wait, if you two are staying here, am I going with Sango and Miroku?" Shippo asked.

"Well, you see, I've arranged for some other people to take care of you."

"What exactly is this about?" Shippo narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, this was an unexpected turn.

"I wanted you to go back to my time, to live with my family for a while. Maybe go to school there and have a life there…"

"Kagome, have you hit your head or something, I can't get through the well."

"I thought you knew, kid?" Inuyasha said.

"It was kind of by accident that we found out, Sango slipped one time while holding the shikon jewel, and she made it through. I think all that is needed is the jewel." Kagome explained.

"Oh…I guess that could be fun." Kagome beamed at his praises.

"Right, than. Let's go, runt." Inuyasha stood up and made for the door.

"We're going now?" Shippo had expected to leave in a day or two perhaps, not right away.

"I told my parents to expect you today, last night. If you don't want to go…" Kagome let the sentence hang.

"No, no I want to go." Shippo assured her.

"My room has already been set up for you, since I'm going to be living here." Kagome said.

"Yeah, ok," Shippo couldn't stop smiling at the thought of seeing Kagome's time.

"Oh, and my brother is about your age, so at least you'll have someone to hang out with."

"Souta?" Shippo remembered seeing a picture Kagome had brought back with her, in his mind, Souta was a young boy with scrawny features.

"Yeah, he's excited to see you too; he's practically an only child now, so you're both in kind of the same situations."

"Are we going to go now, or not?" Inuyasha was standing impatiently while Kagome and Shippo talked.

Shippo grabbed his now dry haori and a few toys and things, mostly mementos. He stuffed the items within the folds of his shirt and followed after Kagome and Inuyasha.

"Is that all your taking?" Kagome asked.

"What else do I have?" It was true, Shippo had but one outfit and a few small possessions. Those he did keep were very precious to him.

Kagome climbed onto Inuyasha's back and motioned for Shippo to do the same. Inuyasha scoffed at having to carry the kitsune. Shippo refused, and instead wanted to run alongside Inuyasha.

Inuyasha took off at a light pace to make sure that Shippo could keep up. When he saw that the fox demon was easily following, Inuyasha increased his pace until Shippo could no longer keep up. Inuyasha earned himself a sharp slap on the back of the head for this.

When they finally arrived at the bone-eaters well, Inuyasha and Kagome had to wait a few seconds for the kitsune to catch up. When Shippo finally arrived at the clearing he walked over to the well and peered into its depths. The darkness no longer looked menacing, but had a friendly and warm quality to it.

Kagome placed the necklace containing the shining shikon jewel around Shippo's neck and fastened the clasp. Shippo looked down and stared at the shimmering object that had caused so much trouble. The kitsune twisted the jewel in his fingers, feeling the sooth curves and soft surface.

This would definitely be some sort of adventure.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope, unfortunately I _still_ do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 2**

Shippo climbed out of the well after traveling through the time slip. Kagome had told him that the trip into the future would be safe and pretty cool. Shippo had not anticipated _how_ cool it actually would be. Expecting to hit the cold, hard floor of the well, it was a shock when he slipped past it. It was a sensation much like falling into water, the colors washed around him and through him.

For a minute, it felt as if he had two bodies, with his consciousness stretched in between them. Not physically in one place, but in two at the same time. Eventually the sensation vanished and he felt cold, hard earth under his feet again. Looking up, Shippo could see the roof of the well house, not the open sky, and suddenly his stomach lurched. This was it; he was in Kagome's time, in a whole other dimension.

Shippo opened the door to the well- house and squinted at the bright sun. The array of scents that barraged his nose was overwhelming. The kit was almost knocked back by the magnitude, Kagome and Inuyasha could be scented easily, as well as many similar smells as Kagome's.

A boy of about Shippo's own age, perhaps a year or so older, came strolling out of the house. When the boy saw Shippo standing rather dazed and confused, he yelled back into the house than ran over, "Mama, he's here!"

"Well, Souta, don't be rude, say hello to him!" came a female voice from inside the house.

'_Souta…_this _is Souta? That little kid Kagome showed me in that picture…he's…he's bigger_' Shippo wasn't lying to himself.

Souta had grown quite a bit since Shippo had seen his picture, now Souta stood a good half a foot taller than the kitsune. Kagome's brother had always had an avid interest in sports, and though he wasn't very active at the moment, he still held the build of an athlete.

Shippo's eyes wandered from the broad shoulders to the flat stomach, than to Souta's long runner's legs. Souta was not very muscular, but had an air of strength around him. Shippo remembered thinking at that moment, '_he is the exact opposite of me…_'

"Souta approached Shippo and held out his hand, "Hi, I'm Souta. You must be Shippo, Kagome's told us a lot about you."

Shippo nervously took the hand, "Um, hi, _you're _Souta?"

"Yeah, why?" Souta laughed.

"But your picture…you looked so young…now you're so…big." Shippo managed to get out.

Souta laughed again, "If you're talking about the picture I'm thinking about…the one with our whole family, the one she always keeps with her?" Shippo nodded, "That was taken almost seven years ago."

"Oh, than why doesn't she just take a new one?" Shippo wondered.

"Well, you see, that's the last picture she has with our grandfather in it. He died, almost seven years ago now. Kagome likes that picture because it reminds her of grandfather."

"Oh…I'm really sorry." Shippo looked at the ground, "I know how it feels to lose someone…my parents died too…"

"Yeah, Kagome told us…" Souta adopted an uncomfortable look on his face when sadness overtook Shippo's expression, "So, this all you have?" Souta motioned to the clothes Shippo was wearing.

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Oh, no reason. We'll have to get you some decent clothes, though."

"What's wrong with these?"

"Oh, nothing I guess, they're just a little odd. And plus, you can't go walking around sporting a tail."

"Oh, I guess you're right." Shippo said, looking back at his tail.

Souta wrapped his arm around Shippo and walked him towards the house, smiling. Souta hadn't expected the new visitor to be so…so…so _handsome. _


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 3**

"Hey, ma…Ma!" Souta shouted as they entered the house.

"Stop shouting, Souta! I'm coming, already." Mrs. Higurashi turned to Shippo, "Hello, dear, It's so nice to finally meet you. Kagome's told us all about you." Mrs. Higurashi embraced Shippo into a warm hug that made him more than a little uncomfortable.

"Um, nice to meet you too." Shippo muttered as he was being crushed under Kagome's moms embrace.

"Mama, stop it, you're crushing him!" Souta shouted, obviously embarrassed more than enough for both him and Shippo.

"Oh, stop it, Souta!" Mrs. Higurashi's face turned a violent color of red as she let go of Shippo.

"Oh, you must be so tired after you're journey, why don't you rest in the house. Souta can show you around after he gets back from school."

"Damn it, school!" Souta looked at his watch and discovered that he was already several minutes late.

"Well, I'm not really…well, um…" Shippo felt his head spinning, the income of information to his brain was too much for him to handle.

Shippo almost fell, Souta steadied him while Mrs. Higurashi got a chair.

"Shippo! Shippo, what's wrong?" Souta asked, Shippo was only vaguely aware of Souta's presence.

"Here, sit down, what is it, Shippo? Was it the trip? Souta, get him some water, quickly!"

Mrs. Higurashi held her hand up to Shippo's forehead. Feeling no temperature, she asked Shippo again what was wrong. The shouting of Kagome's mother brought the kitsune out of his stupor; he eagerly drank the water given to him.

"What happened, Shippo?" asked Kagome's mother.

"Too many smells in this time, how can you people live with so many scents around?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Shippo, we didn't realize it would be a problem, Inuyasha never had that problem, did he?" Mrs. Higurashi asked Souta, Souta shook his head in reply.

"Feh, probably did but would never admit it, stubborn baka." Shippo scoffed.

"Oh, the poor thing, he should have told us."

"Yeah, no wonder he always wanted to get back so bad." Souta said.

"I think I'm okay now." Shippo tried to stand but instead fell back into the chair.

"No, no, Shippo. You should rest until you get used to this time, Souta, why don't you let him rest in your room?"

Souta nodded to his mother and took Shippo's arm and placed it around his shoulders. Shippo, being led by Souta, made his way to Souta's room. Once inside, Souta let him sit on the bed as he dug in his drawers for a suitable pair of pajamas.

Souta held up a pair that might have fit him when he was younger, "Here, you can wear these for now, until we get you your own."

Souta turned around to close the dresser, when he faced Shippo again, the kitsune was already half-naked, and in the process of untying his pants. The pajamas lay on the bed.

"Yo, man, wait until I get out of the room!" Souta covered his eyes with his hands and made his way out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Shippo looked up alarmed, how many times had it been that Kagome and Inuyasha had seen him naked? Perhaps he did something wrong? Shippo pulled on the pajamas that Souta had given him and slipped into the bed.

The last thing he could remember before he went to sleep was the fact that Souta's scent was all around him, in the bed, the clothes, even in the walls. Shippo remembered that it wasn't a bad small, not by far, actually it was a rather pleasant smell, it made Shippo comfortable. Shippo fell asleep with Souta's scent in his mind.

Outside, Souta leaned against the door, smiling once again. Though he hadn't seen much of Shippo, the kitsune's bare torso was enough to send his mind reeling. Souta frowned when he realized what he was thinking, wasn't this considered wrong? '_By who?_' he asked himself.

'_By everyone!_' he answered.

'_No, not by _everyone, _what if he feels the same way?_'

'_He doesn't_'

'_But what if he does?_'

'_He _doesn't.'

Souta opened the door a crack, enough to see Shippo lying in bed, sleeping. The kitsune looked so peaceful…and beautiful to Souta. '_Kami, he hasn't been here an hour and already…_'

Souta sighed and closed the door, all that day he couldn't focus on anything, his mind was too distracted. All Souta could think of was the first time Kagome had showed them a picture of her friends. That had to be even before his grandfather died.

Souta remembered the youkai child. Shippo looked cute to him even than, but than Shippo looked like someone he would want to be good friends with, not someone who he would want to…well…do something like _that _with.

"Well, the guy wanted an adventure, this will sure be some kind of adventure."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

**Chapter 4**

School that day was a nightmare for Souta, it seemed as if his teachers could sense that he was not paying attention and were asking him questions on purpose. Souta sighed heavily on his way home.

'_It's a miracle I survived._' He thought. '_Wonder what Shippo's doing?_' Souta climbed the steps leading to the shrine where he lived.

Shippo was found in the same place Souta had left him. Souta's mother wasn't due home from work for another few hours, so he let the kitsune rest.

Shippo had been awake to hear Souta come home, had heard him climb the stairs. He tensed as Souta opened the door to his room and placed his backpack on the floor. Shippo listened to Souta's slightly heavy breathing as Souta watched the kitsune sleep.

Later that evening Shippo made his way down the stairs to where Souta was watching television. Mrs. Higurashi was not home yet.

"Hey, you're finally awake. How are you feeling?" Souta looked over his shoulder at Shippo when he heard the fox youkai descend the stairs.

"Better, I suppose." Shippo delicately sat on the floor in front of the couch facing Souta.

Everything Shippo did was delicate, on purpose. Every move was fluid and precise. Souta was amused by the way Shippo sat, as if he was sitting on a hard surface.

"You can sit on the couch if you want." Souta said.

Shippo got up and slowly sank into the couch. When he began to sink further into it he tried to stand but failed, he reached out for something to grab onto and yelped as the couch engulfed him.

Shippo sat, exasperated. A look of shock was on his face. Souta laughed at Shippo's reaction. The sofa was very soft and you sat low to the ground; it often felt as if you were going to fall when you sank into it.

"You all right?" Souta was still laughing.

"I guess so…" Shippo was still breathing erratically.

After a short while of watching television, Shippo began to fidget in his seat. The kitsune was very restless, watching television was not the sort of thing he expected to be doing in Kagome's time.

Souta sighed and turned off the television, "You want to go somewhere?" The last thing Souta wanted to do after a rough day at school was take a fox youkai on a tour of Tokyo.

"Yeah, ok!" Souta tried to jump out of the sofa but was unable to lift himself from the cushions.

Souta stifled another laugh at Shippo's exerted expression. Shippo shot Souta a glare when a laugh escaped him. "Do you need help?"

"No…I got it…I'll get it…" Shippo struggled for another minute with the couch.

"Here, give me your hands." Souta grabbed his hands and pulled Shippo from the couch with more force than was necessary.

The fox youkai fell up into Souta's chest, Shippo's head rested against Souta's shoulder. A bombardment of scents hit the kitsune again, however these were pleasant ones. Souta's smell was all around Shippo.

Shippo wrapped his arms around Souta when they crashed together, he didn't remove them for a few seconds. Although the contact lasted for a short while, that is all Souta needed to become completely enthralled with every last fascinating detail about Shippo.

Souta pushed on the kitsune's shoulders, effectively detaching them from his body. Souta's rapt gaze caught Shippo's breath. They stared mesmerized for minutes into each others face, each reading in the other an indescribable merging of emotions.

So much has never been said in that short amount of time between two people, yet no words ever crossed their lips.

Both stood for a while, not sure what to do. Souta was the first to move away from the kitsune. "Well…shall we go?"

"Yeah…ok than."

"So where?" Souta asked as they were descending the stairs in front of the Higurashi shrine.

"Where what?" Shippo looked at Souta, confused.

"Where do you want to go?" Souta said.

Shippo thought for a minute, he wasn't aware that it was his choice where to go. Shippo thought back to all the information he had about Kagome's era. He remembered the best thing Kagome had ever brought from her time, the one thing Shippo looked foreword to more than Kagome.

"Let's go to the place Kagome gets her candy."

"You want to go to the candy store?" Shippo nodded eagerly. "All right than, it's pretty close, I think we can make it before mom gets home."

On the way to the candy store Shippo stayed close to Souta. People jostled the kitsune as they walked past, frightening him. But the scariest thing for the kitsune was the car. When the first one went past, Shippo adopted a fighting stance, ready to defend himself and Souta against a foreign attack.

People on the street stopped to look at the fox youkai, most had a slightly amused expression on their faces. Souta's face glowed red as he continued to walk, dragging Shippo behind him.

Souta pulled on Shippo's arm, his face glowing red. "Did you see that, Souta? Did you?" Shippo asked fervently.

"Yes Shippo, that's called a car, the store's just up the street." Souta said with an air of impatience.

Shippo heard Souta's growing annoyance and kept his discoveries to himself, that is until the reach the candy store. Shippo stopped just inside the door, marveling at the rows and rows of assorted candies.

"Look, Souta, look, its candy! It's so much candy!" Shippo whispered in Souta's ear.

The hot breath in his ear made Souta shiver; the quiet tingling feeling that ran up and down his spine sent a small wave of pleasure to Souta's brain. All of a sudden Souta could wish for nothing more than to have Shippo closer to him.

The kitsune didn't move either; his mouth hovered near Souta's ear. Souta could hear the deep, ragged breaths, could feel Shippo's chest heave on his arm. Shippo was clearly just as captivated by their close proximity as Souta was.

Shippo slowly backed off and moved away from Souta, heading for the nearest shelf full of his beloved sweets. He picked one up and ran over to show Souta but Souta backed away and refused to look Shippo in the eye, as if he was scared of the kitsune.

"Jeez! It's only candy! Act your own age, will you?" Souta said.

"But Souta, look at this! Kagome would only allow me to have one at a time, there has to be one…two…three…at least five here!" Souta looked down at the thirty pack of chocolates than back up at Shippo with a slightly bemused look.

"Shippo, where did you learn how to count?" Souta asked.

"I just picked it up from Kagome, no one had to teach me." The kitsune said proudly.

"I think you need a better teacher." Souta said sarcastically.

"Why?"

"Never mind, I'll tell you later."

"Than I think I'll get these, Souta"

Souta turned to see Shippo standing with his arms full of candy, "Are you going to eat all of this, Shippo? You'll get sick."

Shippo earnestly nodded his head. "I'm youkai, youkai don't get sick, Souta."

"Fine than, lets just pay for these." Souta grabbed the candy out of Shippo's hand perhaps rather roughly and proceeded to the cash register.

Shippo looked at Souta as he walked away, wondering if he had done something to annoy his new friend.

Shippo arrived home with bags full of his precious candy.

_**A/N**_

Breaking tradition that has held fast for three chapters so far I am about to post an note to my readers.

I would first like to thank all of those who have reviewed my story. The amount of interest in this story was quite unexpected. Unexpected, yet pleasant.

These chapters I have just redone are hopefully much more aesthetically pleasing.

I am sorry if I have offended anyone with my short and boring chapters. I have been very sick recently and not exactly at the height of my abilities.

A small side note to Wanting Memories (if they are reading):

Thank you for your reviews.

The song you mention in your biography, Wanting Memories, is an amazing song.

I must say, as embarressing as it is, I listened to it perhaps twenty times after I initially heard it. I just connected with so many things that were said in that song. I highly recommend it to everyone reading. You will not be dissappointed.

Only two other things have ever elicited a response from me as this song did, they are the book Where the Red Fern Grows and the movie Hair.

Thank you so very much for introducing me to it.

Well…I guess that's about it. Don't expect any more author's notes in the future.

I don't like writing them very much, only perhaps if I have something important to say.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha**

**Chapter 5**

Shippo popped another candy into his mouth absentmindedly as he stared at Souta. Shippo was on the floor, cross legged, again; the couch still felt too uncomfortable to him. Shippo ground the candy under his teeth, making loud popping noises Souta could hear.

Souta watched the television in front of him with a mild interest. To tell the truth he had many other things on his mind. Wait, correction…he had one very large thing on his mind.

The slightly aggravated teenager stole a glance at the nonchalant fox spirit; Souta grew even more aggravated when he found Shippo absolutely enticing. What was this kitsune doing to him?

Souta got up and began pacing the room, it was too stuffy. Shippo's scent was all over the room. It dripped off the walls and the ceiling. Souta had to get out of there so he could clear his head.

"Souta? Where are you going?" Shippo asked when Souta impatiently stood and walked towards the door.

"I need to go for a walk." Souta said rather irritably.

"Souta?"

"Yeah?" Souta stopped just before the door.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with what?" Souta turned and fully faced the kitsune.

"With you. I mean, I haven't known you for that long, but I had hoped we'd be friends…and…"

"Nothing's wrong. Don't worry about me." Souta paused and looked at Shippo with an odd expression.

"Souta?"

"I need to go, Shippo." Souta turned and left rather abruptly.

'Kagome always said how pleasant her brother was. That's how he seemed when I first met him, but in this last week…'

'I need to get out of here; I just need to forget about him.' Souta took out his cell phone and flipped it open.

"What up, bro." the voice picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, I don't know if you remember me, we met at Andy's party last week?" Souta said.

"Yeah, the kid who lives at that temple downtown, right?" The voice said.

"Yeah, listen, I really need to chill. What's good today?"

"I'm hangin with Chris and some of those guys; you could come if you want. Wait, hold on a sec." Souta heard the voice talking in the background, "Yo, you mind if this kid Souta come and hang for a while, he's mad chill?" And than, after a short pause, "Alright, cool…hey, Souta?"

"Yeah?"

"You have a ride?"

"Yeah, where are you?"

"Well, you know where Andy's party was, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's only a block down from there, call me when you get there and I'll tell you where the house is."

"Ok, cool. See you in a few."

"Alright, cool." The line went dead as Souta walked towards his car.

'Where is he, it's almost one thirty now.' Shippo paced the floor as he stifled a yawn.

"Shippo? Are you still down here?" Mrs. Higurashi called from upstairs.

"Yeah, I'll be right up as soon as Souta comes home."

"Don't worry about Souta, Shippo. He'll be home eventually. You have school tomorrow, you should get to bed." Shippo leaned out the window.

"Yeah, alright. I'm coming."

Shippo started to walk away but stopped and rushed back to the window when a breeze brought a familiar scent to his nose.

"Souta? But…"

Shippo ran out of the house towards the shrine where he had scented Souta and something else odd…

Shippo saw in the darkness a lone figure wandering aimlessly. The figure stumbled but didn't fall and began wandering again.

"Souta? Souta, is that you?"

"Hey, it's the kitsune. What's up, Shippo?"

"Souta, are you ok?"

"Never better, never better. The question is, are you ok?"

"I'm good, Souta, but you are definitely not." Shippo got a little closer but was deterred by the overwhelming scent of alcohol.

"What's wrong Schlipp…Lichpp…Schlippo?"

"You're drunk, Souta, we need to get you inside."

"No, Schlippo, I don't think we need to. I think we're fine right here."

When Shippo was closer he also noticed the half empty bottle of sake in Souta's hand. Shippo inched nearer, trying not to notice the gagging stench of stale liquor and vomit.

Shippo got close enough to distinguish Souta's features in the darkness. He winced as he saw that Souta had thrown up on his shirt hours ago where it had dried. His face was beet red and his hair was roughly tousled.

Souta tripped again and almost went down this time. He would have if Shippo had not rushed to support him. Souta felt like a dead weight on Shippo, the drunken minor dragged his feet and fought Shippo the entire time.

When they had been walking for a few seconds Souta suddenly stood on his own. "Souta? Are you alright? Come on, we need to get you inside."

"No, Shippo, I already told you, that's not what I need."

Souta reacted surprisingly quickly for a drunken kid. Souta pushed himself against Shippo, pinning him against a column. "W…What are you doing Souta?"

"What I have wanted to do for a long time."

"S…Souta…please stop."

"Please Shippo, just this once…I need you…I need that smell…"

Souta pinned one of Shippo's hands against the column and used the other to explore Shippo's chest. Souta leaned in so that his mouth was just inches away from Shippo's.

The kitsune tried to shy away from the smell but couldn't escape Souta's strength. Souta grinned when he saw Shippo try to escape.

"What have you been doing to me? You're all I can think about…I need you inside me Shippo."

"Souta…" Shippo was quieted by Souta's tongue invading his.

The warmth of Souta's proximity was something Shippo had wanted since he had arrived at this time, but he never wanted it like this. Shippo wanted Souta to be sane when they shared something as special as a first kiss.

Shippo tried to resist Souta but the stronger, older person forced his tongue through Shippo's lips. Souta explored every inch of Shippo's mouth, leaving no room for Shippo to react.

Souta drove the kiss deeper while driving himself closer to Shippo. In the process he slid his hand under Shippo's shirt and felt his flat stomach.

Shippo gasped when he felt Souta's clammy hands on his body which, instead of driving Souta away, loosened Shippo's mouth so that Souta could enter him more fully.

Souta, not being one to go slowly, moved the hand that was currently on Shippo's stomach a bit more south. The exploring hand followed the light sandy colored line of fur down from Shippo's naval to his pant line.

Souta's hand slowly moved aside Shippo's pants and worked their way through to Shippo's now half engorged member. Souta touched it gently, stroking the shaft with loving care. Shippo cried out into Souta's mouth, he didn't know if it was in embarrassment, anger or pleasure.

When Shippo cried out Souta plunged his hand further into Shippo's pants. The light blue pajama pants fell to Shippo's ankles, revealing the kitsune's slender legs covered in a soft fur.

Souta dragged his hands up and down Shippo's thighs, running his hands through the soft fox fur while pinning Shippo to the column with his mouth.

Souta pressed himself against Shippo, pushing his own aching penis that was straining against his pants into Shippo's pelvis. Shippo was aroused purely involuntarily, Souta laughed when he felt Shippo against his hip.

Souta reached down to once again take a hold of Shippo but released his grip on Shippo's mouth in the process. As if Souta's connection to Shippo was all that had held the boy up, Souta collapsed to the ground.

"Souta!" Shippo yelled out when Souta released his mouth, "Souta?"

Shippo moved away from Souta when he was released from the grasp, Shippo stood out of breath staring at Souta. The older boy collapsed on the concrete floor, apparently he was sleeping.

Shippo fixed his pants and caught his breath before hoisting Souta onto his shoulder, "Kami, Souta. What are we going to do with you?"

A/N: I have finally decided to leave this chapter as it is due to the positive feedback and the fact that the other one was not as developed and…well…not as good. Thank you to all who have reviewed and I hope you will enjoy the next chapter in which Shippo returns Souta's feelings while getting a little payback at the same time.

AFF members:

Bakura: nope, no rape. I prefer not to do that sort of thing, all sex should be derived from love, not anger or resentment. As much as Souta resents Shippo for being his hot, sexy self, he loves him as well.

: In an effort to make this story as realistic as possible I had to rely on several of my own…I mean…ahem…my friends experiences. And, unfortunately you do have to vomit at least once to become as drunk as Souta does. Vomiting creates room for more alcohol while at the same time making you feel better so you can drink more. It's really not a good situation to be in, unless that was your goal from the beginning.

KitsuneGami-Sama: Oh, don't you worry, it'll be here soon.

DraconWolf88: I know exactly how you are feeling. Too many authors leave good stories unfinished. I have experienced too much disappointment to let that happen to one of my stories.

Stardreamer: I haven't actually given that thought much consideration until you brought it up. I have debated it and decided, that in my fic anyway, Shippo's fur will be very fine and soft and travel the length of his legs, ending at his hips.

In the end Shippo will not blame Souta for what he had done, but Souta will have to be punished…

As to the description of a drunk person, I guess you can chalk that up to experience. members:

Elmblossom17: thank you, i'm glad people are taking a positive interest, yes, there aren't many Souta/Shippo fics out there and that is a major reason i wrote this one. if you would like to see some of my other fics they are on adult fan fiction under the name Ryunosuke Akutagawa.

Wanting Memories: i appreciate your feedback, sorry for the wait

Zombie Hamster: again, sorry for the wait and i agree with you on the number of Shippo yaoi out there and agree that its a shame.

tangled-wires-of-doom: does this answer your question?


	6. Chapter 6

I suppose all I can say is that I'm sorry. I really did not intend to take this long to update, if you can believe me. It took a very kind reviewer to get me back to my story, for which I am very grateful. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

**Chapter 6**

Shippo scowled at his breakfast cereal, not angry at it in particular, himself or Souta either. No, this anger was directionless, anger for the sake of being angry. Perhaps that is what made him feel all the worse.

Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs resonated through Shippo's skull; after all, those hangover-laden foot falls could only belong to one person. Souta dragged himself into a chair and rested his head on the table.

"Hey, Shippo?" He asked in a rather groggy voice.

Shippo was broken from his reverie so suddenly he could only stammer out his response, "Y...Y...Yes, um…I mean, uh…what is it?"

"Can you get me a glass of water, please?" Souta seemed not to take notice of Shippo's splutter.

Shippo got the water and smashed it on the table in front of Souta, spilling some of the water. Again, Souta seemed either not to notice or not to care. Souta sat up with great difficulty and guzzled the water, spilling some more onto the front of his shirt.

He looked down and noticed the shirt he was wearing, one of the pajama shirts they had bought for Shippo. Come to think of it, the pajama bottoms were his also. "Hmm, I don't remember changing into these last night." He commented lightly.

Shippo blushed and turned his head away, "Well, um, how much do you really remember from last night?"

"Yeah, ha, you're right, I guess was pretty hammered." Souta leaned back in the chair and for the first time took notice of Shippo's nervous, blushing complexion.

"Yeah. Ha-ha, I, uh, I guess you were." Shippo said in a very false tone of voice.

Souta narrowed his eyes and concentrated on Shippo. "Stop being so happy, you're giving me a headache." Souta rested his head back on the table and gave Shippo an exit he gladly took advantage of.

Shippo wandered the grounds of the shrine, thinking of the last words Mrs. Higurashi had said to him before she had left to run some errands.

"_He gets like this once in a while, I am truly sorry Shippo. Ever since, well…I just don't know what I'm going to do sometimes."_

_Mrs. Higurashi told Shippo a story from Souta's past, a story hard for Shippo to hear and even harder for Mrs. Higurashi to tell._

As she fled out the door, Shippo saw tears streaming from her eyes. He stood there, vaguely aware of the sound of the car pulling out of the driveway, his mind somewhere else. He did little else until early in the afternoon when Souta had woken up.

The rest of the day was spent in similar fashion, Souta and Shippo keeping a relative distance from each other. Night fell soon enough and found Souta in his room looking out the window absentmindedly, his back to the door.

Shippo padded into the room silently, like only a kitsune can do. Shippo approached Souta, not sure exactly of what he was doing. In Shippo's mind it was like another force had taken over, not that he exactly minded it.

"Souta." Shippo called softly when he was right behind the teenager.

"Shippo, you scared me." Souta was very uncomfortable at their close proximity.

"I am sorry…Souta…" Shippo paced closer until he and Souta were just a hairs breadth away from each other.

"Did you want something, Shippo?" Souta stammered, while backing up until he reached the wall and could go no further.

Souta was painfully aware of what he was wearing, he had long since changed from the pajamas Shippo had leant him to his normal ones, which consisted mostly of a pair of boxer shorts and a white under-shirt. Even so, he felt as if he were standing naked in front of Shippo.

Though he willed his body to move, Souta's muscles were tense and unyielding. When Souta felt as if he couldn't stand waiting any longer, Shippo did something totally unexpected.

Shippo wrapped his arms around Souta and cried. His face was buried deep in the security of Souta's chest. Shippo cried for his friend. He cried for everything that had ever happened to his friend, than he cried because of what his friend had become.

Souta did not understand the motivation behind Shippo's actions, but he did understand the emotion, all too well.

'I met Shippo and…happiness, fear, sadness, pain…love…all of these things came back to me…once I met Shippo…oncehe appeared, he became my whole world…' Souta thought as Shippo held him.

"Shippo…" Souta said quietly. "…I love you, Shippo…"

Shippo looked into Souta's face and did not recognize the person staring back. Normally Souta was a man of little emotion, hiding his true feelings behind an unending, long-standing wall. The Souta he saw was the man behind the wall. It was the Souta he had fallen in love with.

Shippo smiled, "Can I stay here and hold you for a while, Souta?"

"Sorry, I was being weird." Shippo said after seeing the odd look come across Souta's face.

"No, you weren't Shippo." Souta bent down and clamped his mouth firmly over Shippo's.

His kiss was not dominating but still firm. Souta caressed Shippo's tongue with his own, pulling Shippo out until the kitsune exerted some of his own force.

The kiss became more passionate when Shippo came over his initial shock and kissed back. Two people became one at that moment, and as quickly as they had merged they separated.

Shippo felt a sudden sense of vertigo when Souta broke the connection and started to fall backwards. In an effort to catch him, Souta fell along with Shippo onto the bed behind them.

"Why did you stop?" Shippo asked.

"Because…I just need you to promise me something." Souta said with great effort.

"What's that?"

"That, no matter what, you won't leave me. I don't think I can ever deal with that again."

Shippo smiled and leaned in to Souta, giving his acknowledgement to keep the promise. 'This is a promise I will not fail to keep…because you've given me everything, Souta…love, memories, desire…'

"I love you too, Souta."


End file.
